Start of the year in Hamburg: Back on track!

The winter break is over and the league is starting again! At the start of the year, the SGE is heading to Hamburg to face newly promoted St. Pauli. In the north, after five games without a win across all competitions, we should finally be able to win again. The last duel with the Kiezkickers came from the 2019/2020 season, when they met in the second round of the DFB Cup, where the SGE won 2-1. “St. Pauli had a harder time finding his feet at the start of the season, but performed very well in many games. With the 1-0 win in Stuttgart, they said goodbye to the winter break with an exclamation mark.”Dino Toppmöller does not take the newcomer lightly. “It will be a great challenge in a great stadium!”

Pauli coach Alexander Blessin is looking forward to the start of the year against a strong opponent: “Eintracht is an interesting opponent. They have a strong mentality, a strong community and of course high individual quality.” In the Bundesliga, the promoted team is in 14th place with 14 points, the SGE is in third place in the table with 27 points.

The game kicks off on Saturday, January 11th at 3:30 p.m. in the Millerntor Stadium. Referee Harm Osmers will take charge of the game. “Sky” and “Eintracht FM” broadcast live.

Facts about the game

Eintracht has been unbeaten in twelve Bundesliga games against promoted teams. In the last 16 away games, the SGE only kept a clean sheet once. The SGE won eight of 20 matches.

Who is out?

Eintracht Frankfurt: Aurele Amenda (syndesmotic ligament surgery) is out injured, Jean-Matteo Bahoya (broken nose) could also be out and Tuta (calf problems) is not yet at 100%.

St. Pauli: Sören Ahlers (knee surgery), Sascha Burchert (knee surgery), Connor Metcalfe (adductor problems), Karol Mets (patellar tendon problems), Elias Saad (retraining), Robert Wagner (retraining) and Simon Zoller (muscle injury) are missing .

Outlook: Avoid mistakes

After five games without a win, the SGE is now visiting FC St. Pauli. As newcomers, the Kiezkickers are in 14th place and, with 19 goals conceded, have the second-best defense in the league behind Bayern. However, they only have twelve goals, which is the lowest in the league. It’s a duel between the weakest and the third-best offense in the league, even if the SGE’s offense has stalled a bit recently. “Even though the results recently weren’t what we expected, we had enough chances against opponents who defended deeply.”explains Toppmöller.

A real horror value of the SGE is the percentage of goals conceded that were scored after one’s own mistakes. Six of the 23 goals conceded came after mistakes, which accounts for 26% of the goals conceded. Toppmöller: “We have to see the big picture. Many aspects are very positive. But the truth is that the results have been lacking recently.”

With Marmoush: Clear focus on winning historic points

The transfer rumors surrounding Omar Marmoush are in full swing, but the Egyptian will still be in the starting line-up. Hugo Ekitiké will be allowed to start alongside him. Since Tuta is not at 100%, Nene Brown should move into the back four and Arthur Theate into central defense. With his mentality and fighting spirit, Rasmus Kristensen will be an important aspect in the SGE game. Hugo Larsson will start, Ellyes Skhiri or Oscar Højlund could start next to him. Can Uzun has been impressive lately and could fill the wing position with Mario Götze, but Ansgar Knauff is also a serious option. The SGE will thus extend the league record of 41 starting eleven changes.

It will be a controlled and patient game against St. Pauli. Eintracht can also be successful using standards, which was practiced in preparation: “In the first week of training, we consciously focused on the topics of standards, high intensity and defensive behavior. We have to be fully there on Saturday. It’s then about having a clear focus.” If they win a point, the SGE will move past Schalke 04 into seventh place in the all-time Bundesliga table and will also keep their pursuers at a distance and behind them. Before the start of the English weeks, a win would be important for self-confidence and would give the team more ease in the game.